Recollections
by IKillButerflies
Summary: I can't say much about the story without telling it to you. Might as well just go ahead and read it.


The setting sun blazed its bronze light over the mountains. The light swept across the landscape, making its way through the dense trees. Patterned patches of the sunlight danced on the woodland floor as the leaves swayed in the subtle breeze. A small shaft of smoke billowed upwards from a tiny clearing amiss the woods. The smell of burning wood prevailed through the entire forest.  
  
The campfire gave its warmth to a solitary soul, hunching near it and shivering slightly. A small, animal hide tent was pitched just a small ways away from the fire. It wasn't much to behold, but it had served it's owner well in the past, protecting her and keeping her warm during the cold, lonely nights. A small pan lay beside the fire, covered in the remains from the previous meal that had been cooked. It was still warm to the touch.  
  
The last, crimson rays of light sunk beneath the mountain as the night sky began to set in. Bright dots of light littered the sky, flickering. Various creatures began to chirp and howl, keeping alive the sounds of the forest. The only real light emanating in the forest was from the campgrounds, for the moon had not yet risen.  
  
The woman still sat, with her knees pulled to her chest and her head resting atop of them. Her eyes drifted form the burning fire to the night sky. She began to stare at the stars, thinking about her past. The memories were faded from time, with some details being fuzzy and hard to grasp. She thought about her youth, and how she was forced away from her family for something she couldn't control. Memories of the sadness she felt when she was taken away and left in the woods to die, flooded into her mind. She could almost hear the voices, telling her how she was a disgrace to the family, telling her how she wasn't wanted, telling her she was a bastard child and shouldn't be. She tried to remember her mother, what she looked like, what she sounded like, who she was... but this was an image lost in the passage of time.  
  
The woman wiped away a tear and tended to the fire, adding more wood to it. The new fuel caused it to burn brighter and larger than before. It crackled and sparked as the flames danced upwards toward the sky.  
  
As she sat back down, she turned her gaze back to the flames, watching them as the bright orange light climbed ever upwards. She lost herself in it as she was reminded of the only person she could call her father. She was back on that shore, wandering its coastline. She could remember his voice, calling to her. She remembered how he took her in when he learned that she was an orphan.  
  
She closed her eyes, trying to remember him as well as she could. The image of his former self was lost, but his soothing voice echoed throughout her mind. It called to her, reminding her that someone did love her, that there was hope. She thought of how she would get up each morning to a full breakfast and his smiling face. She thought of how he taught her to be strong, how he taught her to fight. She remembered how he was constantly comforting her and how impressed he was at her abilities.  
  
As hard as she could, she tried to avoid what happens next... but it was futile. She began to cry when she thought of the day that she woke up and he wasn't there. There was no holding back her emotions as the thoughts of how she learned of his fate came back to her. She lay down, facing the fire and holding her legs close to her as the pain continued to overwhelm the poor soul.  
  
She had to do it. She had no choice. He wasn't the man she called father anymore, but he had become something else. It was for his own good. He was in pain and would have wanted it. It was her duty to end his suffering. No matter what she told herself, it still hurt her immensely. She put her hands over her head as she began to openly weep.  
  
The moon slowly rose over the treetops and the animals continued to chirp and howl into the early morning hours, and the lone woman lay by that fire, crying herself to sleep. Tomorrow was another day, but was it worth living? 


End file.
